My husband and I are in RCIA and are coming into the church at Easter. We got married 2 years ago in our non-denominational church. At the time of the marriage, he was baptized, I was not. I got baptized in the same non-denominational church a year after the marriage. Now that we are converting, do we have to have our marriage blessed, convalidated, "made into a sacrament", (I don't know the correct terminology) in the Catholic Church?

I was always under the impression that since we are both baptized Christians, our marriage is a sacrament already?
No one has said anything to me about it in RCIA, but a week ago someone from church asked if we were having our marriage blessed, because it wasn't a sacrament.

If neither of you were Catholic at the time of your marriage (and thus bound by canon law), nor were either of you previously married, then your marriage was valid. It was, during the time you were unbaptized, a valid, natural marriage. Upon your baptism it became sacramental. You do not need to do anything, assuming that, as I stated, you were not previously married nor Catholic at the time of the marriage.

(My husband and I are converts, and we were married in our Protestant church. When we converted, our poor dear priest was SO nervous when he asked us about our marital status. His relief, when he learned that we did not have any prior marriages, was palpable. :rolleyes: )

[quote="anp1215, post:1, topic:227574"]
My husband and I are in RCIA and are coming into the church at Easter. We got married 2 years ago in our non-denominational church. At the time of the marriage, he was baptized, I was not. I got baptized in the same non-denominational church a year after the marriage. Now that we are converting, do we have to have our marriage blessed, convalidated, "made into a sacrament", (I don't know the correct terminology) in the Catholic Church?

I was always under the impression that since we are both baptized Christians, our marriage is a sacrament already?
No one has said anything to me about it in RCIA, but a week ago someone from church asked if we were having our marriage blessed, because it wasn't a sacrament.

Thanks for your answers.

[/quote]

yes if you were both baptized validly, and otherwise free to marry, your marriage, no matter who witnessed it, is both valid and sacramental. This should have been covered in your initial interview with the pastor or his delegate when you began the process. Sit down with the priest now, this week, to clarify our situation so you have no doubts. "Someone from the church" is not an authority, the pastor is.

Welcome home, it is especially wonderful when a couple come together.

If one of you was ever baptized CAtholic, that changes things. If one of you was ever married before, ditto. See the pastor.

Now that we are converting, do we have to have our marriage blessed, convalidated, “made into a sacrament”, (I don’t know the correct terminology) in the Catholic Church?

No.

anp1215:

I was always under the impression that since we are both baptized Christians, our marriage is a sacrament already?

You are correct.

However, you can ask your priest to pray the Nuptial Blessing over you. This is part of the Marriage Rite. It doesn’t have anything to do with validity, but it would be a nice thing to do upon your entry into the Church.

anp1215:

No one has said anything to me about it in RCIA, but a week ago someone from church asked if we were having our marriage blessed, because it wasn’t a sacrament.

Basically, this person is wrong.

*Above answers are based on you and your husband having no impediments to a valid marriage at the time you married in your non-denom church. In other words, neither of you was married before, etc.